Anchor for flexible cables and a method of securing the same thereto



Sept. 5, 1944. u m I 2,357,733

ANCHOR FOR FLEXIBLE CABLES AND METHOD OF SECURING THE SAME THERETO Filed Feb. 3, 1942 VIII/Ill INVE NTOR Patented Sept. 5, 1944 ANCHOR FOR FLEXIBLE CABLES AND A METHOD OF SECURING THE SAME THERETO George H. Guderian, North Tonawanda, N. Y., as-

signor to Columbus McKinnon Chain Corporation, Tonawanda, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 3, 1942, Serial No. 429,435

Claims. (01. 29148) Myinvention relates in general to anchors for flexible steel cables and particularly to clamping means which may be secured to the end of a cable and by which the cable may be fastened, for instance, to the drum of a wire rope hoist.

In my experiments with cable clamps or anchors, I have found that by providing interspaced ridges or V-shaped threads on the interior surfaces of the jaws and by forming the cable with corrugations or interspaced bends for engagement with said threads, abutments are provided which clamp the cable within the anchor in very efficient manner.

The principal object of my invention,- therefore, has been to provide an anchor having jaws which are provided with relatively soft ridges or sorewthreads which are conformed substantially to the exterior surface of the cable when the anchor is being assembled.

Another object has been to provide the cable with corrugations or a plurality of interspaced bends for engagement with the ridges or screwthreads of the jaws.

A further object has been to provide a method whereby when the anchor is being assembled upon the cable, the relatively soft interspaced ridges will be conformed substantially to the cable contour and the cable will be formed witha wavy or corrugated exterior, thereby forming abutmenls for engagement with the ridges. 7

Another object has been to provide jaws having ridges or threads formed with flattened surfaces which increase the area of contact of the jaw with the wires of the cable.

Moreover, my invention is of such nature that the cross-sectional area of the wires of the cable will be maintained without any mutilation or indentations, whereby the strength of the 'wires will not be reduced.

Furthermore, I provide my anchor with a steel sleeve which is hardened or heattr'eated so as to reduce its ductility and thereby to prevent stretching when assembling the anchor.

The above objects and advantages have been accomplished by the device shown in the accompanying drawing, of which:

Fig. 5 is a side sectional elevation of the plug member taken on line VV of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a greatly enlarged inner face view of one of the jaws showing the flattened portions of the'threads where they engage the wires of the cable; and,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the corrugations orinterspaced bends formed in the wires of the cable by the flattening action of the threads of the jaws, taken on line VII-VII of Fig. 2..

My anchor comprises cable embracing means in the form of vjaws l0 and II, each, having a longitudinal groove or cable seat l2 formed with transversely extending ridges of softer material than the cable Il.

In the manufacture of the jaws I preferably make a plug member IS in cylindrical form having asuitably shaped exterior surface l6. This member is drilled longitudinally and is then provided with a plurality of ridges 20. These ridges Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my invention as applied to a wire rope cable;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged end elevation of the anchor as shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged end elevation of the completed plug member ready to'be split to form the jaws of my invention;

may be formed in any suitable way but I have found it convenient to pass a screwthreading tap through the longitudinal hole whereby V-shapcd ridges are formed.

After the plug member. is finished it is slit on' lines marked 23 and 24, thus forming the jaws l0 and II. In splitting the plug member a portion of the metal is removed so that there is suflicient space between the adjacent surfaces of the jaws when first assembled on the cable to compensate for movement toward each other when being subsequently forced in place upon the cable.

In carrying out my invention the jaws l0 and II must be forced into contact with the cable under considerable pressure. Any suitable means may be employed to accomplish this compressing action but I have found it convenient to employ an outer sleeve 2| formed with a tapered bore 22. The outer surface l6 of the plug member I5 is also tapered to conform to the tapered bore of the sleeve so that when the jaws are formed and assembled within the sleeve they will snugly fit the tapered surface thereof. The sleeve is preferablymade of high carbon steel or heat-treated steel which is hardened to reduce its ductility so that the jaws will be firmly pressed into engagement with the cable in the act of assembling my anchor.

The cable It to which the anchor is to be attached has the strands and wires at its end pref erably secured together by means of welding so that'there will be no fraying during the act of assembling. .When assembling my anchor the jaws are placed at opposite sides and near the end of the cable with their larger ends toward such cable end, and the sleeve 2| is slipped over the jaws. Great pressure is then applied axially to the jaws and the engaged cable, to force them into the sleeve. Such pressure causes the tangentially arranged threads 20, due to their relative softness, -to be forced toward and into the opposite the intervening undeformed valleys 28.

Furthermore, the wires of the strands are impressed and embedded into the flattened surfaces 25, as shown in Fig. 6, whereby to more firmly grip the wires of the cable.

As shown in Fig. '7, as the jaws are forced towardthe cable in the formation of the flattened surfaces 25, these spaced flattened surfaces with the intervening valley portions 28 form crimping faces and give to the wires of the cable a plurality of interspaced bends or corrugations 25 in hill and dale formation, thereby forming abutmerits between the threads and with which the threads engage, thus efllciently resisting axial movement of the anchor upon the cable when placed in service. The pitch of the ridges or threads formed in the cable seat has a definite bearing upon the gripping action of the anchor; and, while this pitch may be varied considerably, it is preferable that the spacing be such that definite corrugations are formed in the wires between the ridges.

In carrying out the invention above described, it is obvious that a steel cable of usual construction be employed, made up of strands and wires with the usual flexible core, whereby when compressed by the iaws there will be suflicient resiliency to form the corrugations herein described.

While I have described the outer sleeve 2| as being made of hardened steel, it is obvious that any other suitable material may be employed, it being only necessary that in the act of assembling the jaws I and ll be pressed into contact with the cable with sufiicient force to form the flattened surfaces of the threads and to form the corrugations 26 in'the wires of the cable. In carrying out my invention, it is preferable to use soft steel for the jaws l0 and H but obviously any material may be, used which has sufficient ductility to form the flattened cable-engaging surfaces while at the same time being suffic ently rigid to crimp the wires of the cable. Furthermore, while I have shown and described my anchor as receiving some of its peculiar characteristics during the act of assembling, it is obvious intervening pockets therefore, wish to be limited to the exact embodiment hereinshown and described, the forms shown being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

l. A cable anchor'comprising cable embracing means having a seat formed with transversely extending spaced ridges of softer material than the wires of the cable, said ridges being formed with spaced contacting portions deformed to conform to the exterior wires of the strands of the cable, said ridges having interspaced undeformed portions extending between the strands'of the cable to interlock with the cable, and means for exerting and maintaining clamping pressure on said embracing means.

2. A cable anchor comprising cable embracing means having a seat formed with transversely extending spaced ridges of softer material than the wires of the'cable', each of said ridges being formed throughout its circumference with a plurality of spaced flattened surfaces for conforming contact with the exterior wires of the cable, said ridges having undeformed root portions to provide intervening pockets for reception of corrugated abutments formed in the wires, .and means for holding said embracing-means in position.

3. A cable anchor .comprising cable embracing means having a seat formed with transversely extending spaced ridges of softer material than the wires of the cable, said ridges being formed with spaced contacting portions deformed to conform to the exterior wires of the strands of the cable, said ridges having interspaced undeformed portions extending between the strands of the cable to interlock with the cable, said ridges having interspaced undeformed root portions to provide to receive corrugations formed in the exposed wires of the strands between the contacting surfaces at the tops of the,

ridges, and means for holding said embracing means in position.

4. A cable anchor, comprising an outer hardened steel shell having a tapered bore, cable embracing means formed with an exterior tapered surface for engagement with thetapered bore of the shell, said cable embracing means having a seat formed with transversely extending spaced ridges of softer material than the wires of the cable, said ridges being formed with spaced contacting portions deformed to conform to the exterior wires of the strands of the cable, said ridges having inter-spaced undeformed portions extending between the strands of the cable to interlock'with the cable, said ridges having undeformed root portions to provide intervening pockets to receive corrugations formed in the exposed wires of the strands by and between the contacting surfaces at the tops of the ridges.

5. A method of fastening a twisted multistrand cable to an anchor having a plurality of internal, cable-engaging circumferential ribs, applying said anchor to the cable, resiliently supporting the outer strands of said cable, bending said outer strands inwardly at points opposite the spaced tangential exposed surfaces of said ribs by pres- 'sure exerted upon said anchor, and simultaneously forging said anchor to form a plurality of circumferentially-spaced partially flattened surfaces on said ribs at points to engage the bends in said strands.

GEORGE H. GUDERIAN 

